Jennifer Johnson Cano’s portrayal of Michele in the recent premiere of The Righteous at Santa Fe Opera earned her accolades from The New York Times, which noted how she “voluptuously captured” the pain and strength of her character; Musical America called her a “standout” and The Wall Street Journal described her as “riveting.” Opera Today noted her “substantial, creamy mezzo-soprano” and called Ms. Cano’s arias in The Righteous “flawless combinations of radiant, poised, attractive singing invested with heartfelt delivery.” Opera News has described her as a “matchless interpreter of contemporary opera.”
After creating the role of Michele in the world premiere of Gregory Spears's The Righteous with Santa Fe Opera in summer 2024, she was invited back to sing the role of Mrs. Grose in Britten's The Turn of the Screw as well as Schwertleite in Wagner's Die Walküre in the summer of 2025. Her 2025-2026 season includes engagements with the Chicago Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the Seattle Symphony and The Apollo Orchestra in repertoire by a wide variety of composers. The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents Ms. Cano in recital with pianist Christopher Cano and violist Beth Guterman Chu. Tours include a project with Simone Dinnerstein and her ensemble Baroklyn (following Ms. Cano’s appearance on Complicité, Ms. Dinnerstein’s 2025 recording on Supertrain Records) as well as a week with the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan's chamber music festival in January. Ms. Cano returns to the MET Opera in her role debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, which will include the singer’s 150th performance at the MET. She and Christopher will also premiere a new song cycle by Gregory Spears at the Tucson Desert Song Festival.
Cano undertakes a balance of orchestral, opera and chamber music performances each season. Recent highlights include the role of Hermia in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Opera Theater of St. Louis, and the role of Mistress Quickly in Falstaff at Houston Grand Opera. She has collaborated often with Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Philadelphia and with his Orchestre Métropolitain and Riccardo Muti with the Chicago Symphony. She has also worked with the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony, among others. Ms. Cano continues to sing a diverse selection of roles, and each season includes premieres and new works that challenge and delight her artistically while inspiring her to explore new vocal horizons.
Highlights of Cano’s operatic career have included performing the roles of Donna Elvira, Carmen and Offred with Boston Lyric Opera; The Fox in The Cunning Little Vixen with The Cleveland Orchestra; the Mother, Dragonfly, and the Squirrel in L'enfant et les sortilèges with the San Francisco Symphony; performances of El Niño with John Adams and the London Symphony Orchestra; Carmen with New Orleans Opera; and Orphée with Des Moines Metro Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She has appeared in more than 100 performances on the stage at The Metropolitan Opera since her debut in the 2009-2010 season. Cano debuted the role of Virginia Woolf in the world premiere of Kevin Puts’s The Hours with The Philadelphia Orchestra, about which The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “Every word was clear both in content and intention, and her mezzo-soprano tone was deeply alluring.”
A native of St. Louis, Cano earned degrees from Rice University and Webster University, where she was honoured as a distinguished alumna and commencement speaker in May 2017. Her debut recital recording with pianist Christopher Cano, “Unaffected: Live from the Savannah Voice Festival,” was recorded live and unedited. She sings as a soloist on a live recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony and in Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 "Jeremiah" with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She also recorded Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble.
Ms. Cano joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Among her honours are Winner of the Young Concert Artist International Auditions, a Sara Tucker Study Grant, a Richard Tucker Career Grant and a George London Award.
August 2025
